Monday, January 6, 2014

Earth is an interactive map visualization that shows the latest wind activity everywhere on the planet. The map, which was created Tokyo-based software engineer Cameron Beccario using the popular data visualization library D3, pulls data from the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) National Centers for Environmental Prediction and updates every three hours. Users can rotate the map and zoom in, as well as choose from a range of altitudes and map projections. Colors represent wind speeds, giving users an intuitive look at the dead zones, such as the Western United States, and hotspots, such as the North Pacific Ocean, of global wind.

Earth was inspired by a 2012 map of wind in America created by researchers in Google’s “Big Picture” research group, which creates interactive visualizations.

Travis Korte is a research analyst at the Center for Data Innovation specializing in data science applications and open data. He has a background in journalism, computer science and statistics. Prior to joining the Center for Data Innovation, he launched the Science vertical of The Huffington Post and served as its Associate Editor, covering a wide range of science and technology topics. He has worked on data science projects with HuffPost and other organizations. Before this, he graduated with highest honors from the University of California, Berkeley, having studied critical theory and completed coursework in computer science and economics. His research interests are in computational social science and using data to engage with complex social systems. You can follow him on Twitter @traviskorte.